Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Try out this new fabulous restaurant in Pahoa, next to Shaka's in the old Pahoa Village Cafe location - just 5 minutes from Hale Moana Bed & Breakfast in the heart of Pahoa Town.

Pele's Kitchen is a great addition to the Pahoa Restaurant mix. It just recently moved from the Hilo Town Tavern in Downtown Hilo to Pahoa and is now open to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours are 7 am - 1pm daily with dinner served on Friday & Saturday. Sushi hours are Thursday - Saturday. The number to call for reservations or to order take out is 935-0550.

Lunches include Puna Burgers, Reuben' Sandwich, Huli-Huli chicken sandwich, exotic salds like Princess of the Jungle and even homade raviolis in local style flavors like Chicken-Macadamia, Kalua Pork and Hawaiian Grass-Fed Beef. Specials include a delectable fish sandwich featuring local ono caught right out of Pohoiki.

Auntie Liz greets everyone at the door and is a source for information on the local area. Auntie is an artist, making customized t-shirts and showing customers how to make ti-leaf leis. She also creates delicious jungle juices like lilikoi-calamansi and local ginger iced tea.

What impressed my kids and me about Pele's Kitchen was the quality of the food,
the attention to detail and the personal atmosphere with excellent
service. We went to the restaurant based on the recommendation of
friends and had a variety of dishes: Taro & Yam Chips and Maui Onion
Rings for starters, the Sushi Special of the day, the bacon burger with fries and the
fish special with tumeric rice, mashed purple sweet potatoes
and salad for our main course. For desert we tried the mountain apple and black berry pies. To drink
we had the lilikoi-calamansi and a beer from the bar next door. All was absolutely delicious. All ingredients are from local growers and the
owners' garden. If you are there for dinner on the weekends you may also catch the band playing at Shaka's - it's right next to the restaurant.

Pele's Kitchen offers a great variety of choices for vegetarians and vegans.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Last
and certainly not least! Today’s hula plant of the day is hala pepe
(Pleomele hawaiiensis), and it honors the seventh and final day of the
Merrie Monarch Festival, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Hala pepe is one of the most highly esteemed plants used to adorn the
kuahu, or hula altar, to honor Laka, the goddess of hula, and is
considered the kino lau, or spiritual form, of Kapo, another hula
goddess. Its two-inch flowers can also be used for lei.

This
stunning plant belongs to the agave sub-family, and can grow 20 feet or
higher. There are several types of hala pepe endemic to specific
islands. Pleomele hawaiiensis is endemic to Hawai‘i Island, and can be
found in dryland forests and other mesic regions. It is the rarest
species of hala pepe, and is federally listed as endangered. Outside
the park, its survival is threatened by goats, cattle, alien grasses,
fire, and development. Park
resource managers are working to increase the numbers of hala pepe in
the park, though propagation, out-planting, and protection. Currently,
less than 20 mature, wild hala pepe are found scattered throughout drier
areas of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

If
you are new to Hula, you need some Hawaiian language to help understand
and appreciate hula and the cultural aspects of the dance.

Here is a list of words used commonly during the Merrie Monarch festival.

Aloha
- is used to say hello and goodbye and desribes a kind of love or
respect for something or someone. It is sometimes used in the negative:
"He has no aloha!"'Auana - Modern Hawaiian styleHalau
- With regard to hula, this means a Hula group or school usually under
the direction of Kumu. It means long house for canoes as well.Haole - used to refer to white peopleHapa
- means half and is used to describe people's race (Hapa Hawaiian),
food, music or anything else that is influenced by ethnicityHapa Haole Songs - Hawaiian songs in EnglishHo'i - Exit which is often accompanied by song or chant
Ho'opa'a - ChantersHeiau - Hawaiian platform Temple. Heiau can be visited in National and State parks around Hawaii island
Hula Kahiko - Hula composed prior to 1893 and does not
include modern musical instruments. Types of Hula Kahiko include
‘āla’apapa, ha’a, ‘olapa, and others. Hula is performed with chants
accompanied by sticks and gourd drums and performed in malo, or
loincloth, and pā’ū, or wrapped skirt, and clothing made of grass and
flowers.Hula 'Auana - Modern style Hula accompanied
with songs in Hawaiian and modern musical instruments and performed in
colorful dresses (mumus) and patterened shirtsHuli - The movement of turning - in a canoe it means to flip over.
Ipuheke - Gourd instrument without a top used as a drum during KahikoHula
Kahiko - Ancient Hawaiian styleKa'i - Entrance which is often accompanied by song or chantKane - Man and MenKeiki - Child or ChildrenKumu - Teacher that has mastery of Hula or some Hawaiian art formKupea - Anklets worn by male dancersKupuna - Elderly person or peopleMele - Hawaiian song and poetic languageMerrie Monarch
- The Merrie Monarch refers to King David Kalākaua who reigned over
the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1874 until his death in 1891. He was a patron
of the arts and is given credit for revitalizing Hula in Hawaii.'Olapa - DancersOli - Chant

Pau - Finished, no more: "Food all Pau"Pahu - DrumPule - Prayer given in Hawaiian at the begining of most events'Uli'uli - Gourd instrument filled with seeds and topped with colorful flowers used by dancers in hulaWahine - Woman and Women

‘Ōlapa (Cheirodendron trigynum) is the hula plant of the day, honoring the sixth day of the 50th annual Merrie Monarch Festival. ‘Ōlapa, which means dancer in Hawaiian, was named for the way its graceful leaves flutter in the slightest breeze.

This small to medium-sized tree is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, and
its lovely oval-shaped, yellow-green leaves seem to sparkle in the
sunlight. Hawaiians use its dark purplish fruits, leaves and bark to
make a bluish-black dye, and weave the leaves into lei, according to
Beatrice Krauss, author of “Plants in Hawaiian Culture.”

‘Ōlapa are abundant in the park’s rain forests, and are noticeable along
Highway 11 when approaching the park entrance from Puna. They are also
observed growing along the path leading to Thurston Lava Tube, and in
other rain forest sections of the park. Visit the Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association park stores for a marvelous selection of books and other merchandise celebrating all things Hawaiian.